The origins of the Otly name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Otly was originally derived from a family having lived in the parish of Oteley found in the counties of Shropshire, Suffolk and the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Otly Early Origins

The surname Otly was first found in Shropshire where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Otly Spelling Variations

Otly Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Otly include Ottley, Otley, Oatley, Oteley, Oatly and others.

Otly Early History

Otly Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Otly research. Another 273 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1434, 1716, 1601, 1649, 1643, 1644, 1646, 1626, 1670, 1661 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Otly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Otly Early Notables (pre 1700)

Otly Early Notables (pre 1700)

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Francis Ottley (1601-1649), English Royalist knight, military governor of Shrewsbury in 1643 and later High Sheriff of Shropshire (1644-1646)...

Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Otly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Thomas Otley, who is on record in Virginia in 1618; Abraham and Adam Otley, who both arrived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1641; Darcy Oatly, who was on record in Virginia in 1657.

The Otly Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Otly Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.